Acetylene-generating apparatus.



H. H. MORE TON. AGETYLENE GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 1914;

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

rnarrn snares HENRY H. MORETON', OF STONY POINT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL LIGHTING SYSTEMS CORPORATIGN, A CORPORATION OF NEW YGRK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2?, 1217.

Application filed August 15, 1914. Serial No. 856,993.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. MORETON, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Stony Point, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Generating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, of that type in which the gas is produced by causing water to drip on to calcium carbid.

In the manufactureof acetylene gas it is customary to produce the gas by bringing calcium carbid into contact with water, either by depositing the carbid into a tank containing the water, or else by permitting water to drip upon the carbid supported in suitable manner. The carbid to water method, however, has'been found objectionable in use for supplying gas to headlights, desk lamps, and other small apparatus, largely because it is necessary to employ mechanism which is more or less complicated, to insure the proper and safe feed of the carbid, and because the bulkiness of such mechanisms precludes their use in such small apparatus. In that class of apparatus in which the water is deposited upon the carbid, an objectionable feature is that the decomposed carbid cannot ordinarily be readily disposed of so as to permit of the continuous generation of gas of the desired quality, and furthermore, it has been found difficult, in practice, to arrest the-generation of gas when the supply is no longer desired. One of the objects of the present invention is'to produce an apparatus ofthe water to oarbid type which will be simple in construction, and which will be particularly adapted for supplying gas to headlights, desk lamps, and other similar apparatus of small bulk, and at the same time overcome in a great measure the difficulties heretofore encountered in the operation of generators of this-general type. A further object is to produce an apparatus which will supply a maximum quantity of gas from a given quantity of carbid. A

further object is to-"provide means that will insure the displacement of the decomposed carbid by active carbid, and to maintain an automatic feed of the latter to the point where the water is applied thereto. A

further object is to control the flow of the water.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an acetylene generating apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view of a slight modification.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a tank or casing divided by a transverse wall 11 into an upper water reservoir and a lower generating chamber 13, the latter being preferably larger in diameter than the reservoir and having a top wall 14: closing the space between the side wall of the generator chamber and the side wallof the tank. The tank 12 is provided with a suitable water inlet pipe 15 closed by a plug, and also with a vent pipe 16 located above the normal water level within the tank. The generating chamber is provided with a gas main 16 leading therefrom to the point of consumption or to a suitable storage station.

The carbid chamber 'is preferably in the form of a hopper 17 located within the reservoir 12, and preferably of rectangular form in cross section, being provided with inclined front and rear walls 18, 19, forming a dis charge chute, the lower end of the front wall being provided with a horizontal lip, 20, the

lower end of the rear wall being curved at 21 and cooperating with the lip 20 to provide the chute with a vertically disposed out let opening. Said outlet opening is closed by a series of horizontally disposed, transversely arranged grid bars 22, and the curved portion 21 terminates in a plurality of longitudinally disposed grid bars 28, forming a grate upon which the carbid normally rests.

The lip 20 is also preferably formed of short longitudinal grid bars 24.

later is conducted from the tank 12 by a discharge pipe 25, provided with a branch 26 extending transversely of the chute por tion of hopper 17 just above the lip 20, said branch being provided with a plurality of nozzles 27, each provided with an independent cock, whereby the quantity of water flowing therefrom may be nicely regulated. A main valve 28 controls the flow from the tank 12 to the branch 26.

Thelower end of the generating chamber 13 is provided with an outlet 30 closed by a suitable cap 31, to permit the cleaning out of the sludge or decomposed carbid.

In practice the hopper 17 is filled with carbid and the reservoir 12 is filled to the proper level with water, which latter will pass through the outlet pipe 25 when the cook or valve 28 is opened. The carbid is fed by its own gravity through the chute portion of the hopper 17 and the lower portion of said carbid rests against the grid bars 22, being supported by the grid bars 23. Water flowing through the branch pipe 26 drips from the nozzles 27 through the grid bars 24 on to the carbid, effecting an immediate decomposition of the carbid supported at the discharge end of the chute, thereby generating gas in the well known manner. As the carbid decomposes and dries out the weight of the material in the hopper 17 forces the decomposed carbid between the grid bars, causing it to drop to the bottom of the tank 13. The flow of water is so regulated that no more is supplied than is normally demanded, and it will be noted that the water comes into contact with such a relatively small quantity of the carbid, that the latter is not wasted and over generation of gas is practically impossible. Should gas be generated in excess of the demands at the point of consumption, the pressure in chamber 13 will create a back pressure in the branch pipe 26 and interrupt the flow of water until the excess of gas is conducted away through pipe 16 whereupon the reduction in pressure will permit the resumption of the flow of water. It will be particularly noted that the water strikes the lower end of the chute of the hopper 17 at such an angle as to practically remove minute quantities of carbid as it comes into contact with the latter, thereby insuring that the bulk of the carbid remaining in the hopper will cause the material to automatically feed toward the discharge end to take the place of the material that has been removed. In this manner the feed of the carbid is automatic and the grid is self-cleaning. The lower grid also permits the carbid to drop through as it is decomposed. As the water strikes the carbid supported in the manner hereinbefore described sharp explosions take place, and sometimes a piece of the active carbid will be forced through the grid before being acted upon by the water. To avoid danger from this source it is preferable to keep an inch or two of water in the bottom of the generating chamber.

In Fig. 4: I have shown a slight modification, which consists in doing away with the Water reservoir, and connecting the pipe 26 to the radiator of an automobile so that the water supply may be drawn from this source. This is convenient when the generator is employed to supply gas to an automobile headlight, the radiator being indicated at For the purpose of preventing solid particles passing out through the pipe 16, Iprovide a. tubular wick or fabric 36, one end of which fits over the inlet end of said pipe, the other end extending down into the water in thebottom of the generating chamber. By this arrangement the wick is maintained in a moist condition by capillary attraction and the gas is completely filtered before it enters the service pipe.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention, and described an operative man nor of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what 1 claim is 1. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas comprising a generating chamber, a carbid hopper extending into said generating chamber, said hopper gradually diminishing in volume toward the lower end thereof, said lower end being curved to provide an angularly disposed outlet, intersecting grid bars forming an inclined grate closing said outlet, and means for causing water to drip upon the lower, outermost extremity of said grate, said grate-closed outlet being of a size to expose a'relatively small quantity of carbid to the action of the water.

2. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas comprising a generating chamber, a carbid hopper extending into said generating chamber, said hopper gradually diminishing in volume toward the lower end thereof, said lower end being curved to provide an angularly disposed outlet, an inclined grate 010s ing said outlet, said grate being formed of longitudinal angular grid bars and intersecting transverse grid bars, and means for causing water to drip upon the lower, outermost extremity of said grate, said grateclosed outlet being of a size to expose a relatively small quantity of carbid'to the action of the water. r c

3. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas comprising a generating chamber, a carbid hopper extending into said generating chamber, said hopper gradually diminishing in volume toward the lower end thereof, said lower end being curved to provide an angularly'disnosed outlet, an inclined grate clos ing said outlet and formed of longitudinal grid bars having offset curved top and bottom portions, and intersecting transverse grid bars, and means for causing Water to drip upon the lower, outermost extremity of said grate, said grate-closed outlet being of a size to expose a relatively small quantity of carbid to the action of the water. 7

4:. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas comprising a casing divided by a transverse wall into an upper water reservoir and a lower generating chamber, a carbid hopper located within said reservoir and extending through said wall into the generating chamher, said hopper gradually diminishing in volume toward the lower end thereof, said lower end being curved to provide an angularly disposed outlet, intersecting grid bars forming an inclined grate closing said outlet, and means for causing water to drip upon the lower, outermost extremity of said grate, said grate-closed outlet being of a size to expose a relatively small quantity of carbid to the action of the water.

5. An apparatus for generating acetylene gas comprising a casing divided by a transverse wall into an upper water reservoir and a lower generating chamber, a carbid hopper located within said reservoir and extend ing through said wall into the generating chamber, said hopper gradually diminishing in volume toward the lower end thereof, said lower end being curved to provide an angularly disposed outlet, intersecting grid bars forming an inclined grate closing said outlet, and a water pipe leading from said reservoir and extending transversely to the hopper above the grate bars, said pipe having means for causing water to drip upon the lower, outermost extremity of said grate, said grate-closed outlet being of a size to expose a relatively small quantity of carbid to the action of the Water.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY H. MORETON.

Witnesses EDWARD D. KnnsLER, M. A. MORETON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G." 

